Tamás Dékány (Budapest Airport) on making SAF easy to understand

Budapest Airport is developing a gamified approach, to raise awareness around sustainable aviation fuels. Could you explain the idea behind this initiative?

The idea behind the SAF gamification initiative is to make a complex, but crucial topic understandable, engaging and memorable for non-expert audiences.

SAF is a highly technical topic, and for most passengers, it remains abstract. We aim to bridge this knowledge gap, increase engagement and make sustainability in aviation more tangible. Instead of presenting SAF only through technical explanations, we use an interactive experience that allows users to see and understand the SAF lifecycle. The goal is to connect passengers emotionally and intellectually to the concept of sustainable aviation, and to show how individual choices and innovation contribute to decarbonization.

The game is accessible via: SAF Game Budapest Airport

What kind of experience do users go through?

Users are taken through an interactive journey that follows the lifecycle of SAF, and they can gauge their knowledge with a test between the levels. Along the way, the game includes educational checkpoints, where users receive short, digestible information about sustainability, emissions reduction and aviation energy transition. The experience is designed to be intuitive, so it can be completed quickly, while still delivering key learning outcomes.

Why did you choose gamification as a tool, rather than more traditional communication methods?

Traditional communication methods often struggle to maintain attention for complex topics like SAF. Gamification allows us to increase engagement, improve information retention and create a more interactive learning experience. It transforms a one-way communication message into an active experience, where users are participants, rather than passive readers. This significantly improves both understanding and recall.

What were the main challenges in designing and implementing this gamified solution?

One of the main challenges was balancing scientific accuracy with simplicity. SAF is technically complex, so it was essential to simplify it, without oversimplifying.

More broadly, how do you see the role of communication and engagement tools in accelerating sustainable aviation?

Technology alone is not enough; public understanding and acceptance are also critical. Tools like gamification and social media campaigns help translate complex innovations into accessible narratives, enabling broader societal support for decarbonization efforts.

In your experience, what are the most effective ways to make complex topics like SAF accessible to a wider audience?

At Budapest Airport, we believe that the most effective approach is simplification, without distortion. Visual storytelling, interactive experiences and real-world analogies are particularly powerful. People engage better when they can relate new concepts to something familiar and when learning is active, rather than passive.

Do you think passengers are ready to engage more actively with topics such as SAF, or is there still a gap to bridge?

There is growing interest among passengers, especially as sustainability becomes more visible in everyday life. However, there is still a significant knowledge gap regarding aviation-specific solutions like SAF. This is exactly where tools like gamification and clear communication play an important role in bridging that gap.

Looking ahead, what lessons from Stargate would you share with another airport starting a similar sustainability journey?

One key lesson is the importance of collaboration, both within the airport and across the wider European airport ecosystem. Innovation projects are most successful when technical, operational and communication teams work closely together from the beginning.

One thing people often misunderstand about sustainable aviation is…

that it is not an independent task of separate aviation players. In reality, it requires coordinated action across the entire aviation ecosystem, as well as active engagement from passengers and society, to support and accelerate the transition.